An opencast company has been urged to be “up front” about its bid to retain a transport facility at its Northumberland site, amid speculation it is designed to serve another firm.

UK Coal has applied to Northumberland County Council to be allowed to retain a railhead at its Butterwell site near Morpeth, where work is nearing an end.

The application has prompted a group fighting plans for an opencast mine near Druridge Bay to call on the company to come clean on why it is seeking to keep the facility, amid speculation that it will be offered to the developer of the proposed scheme.

UK Coal told us it was asked to retain the rail head by the landowner for future use while Banks, the company behind the planned scheme, has said it has previously raised the possibility of using the rail hub.

UKCSMR Limited, which bought UK Coal last year, is nearing an end to its permitted works at Butterwell with a restoration scheme in place for the site once it is finished.

The approved scheme includes the removal of the rail head, used by UKCSMR Limited and other operators of opencast mines in the area to transport coal from their sites, with it linked to the East Coast Main Line.

Yet now, the operator has asked the county council to vary the approved scheme so that it can retain the rail head.

Its application has led to speculation among the Save Druridge group, fighting Banks’ plans for the Highthorn site, that UKCSMR Limited is envisaging some kind of deal with the company behind the proposed scheme for the use of the rail facility.

Group member Jonathan Roger, 39, of Druridge Farm, said: “The thing that is really bothering the Save Druridge campaign group is that they see it as an unspoken truth that the restoration project is designed to serve Banks.

“This is not spoken to at all in the application for a variation - it is guessed at by those in our group.

“I can not see anyone else wanting a rail head around here!

“If that is the purpose then really they ought to be up front about it.”

UKCSMR Limited managing director David Bolton said the firm had been asked by landowner Harworth Estates to retain the rail facility for future use, although he did not know whether it had spoken to Banks.

“This obviously has the potential for usage in some way that can provide jobs, bring business into the area even if it was not anything to do with a Highthorn scheme.”

He said his company has had no discussions with Banks.

Banks said it has previously raised the potential for use of the rail head.

Barnaby Pilgrim, project director, said: “Creating the most appropriate transport infrastructure for the Highthorn scheme is a central part of the planning application that we are currently working on, and we are examining all the options available which would enable us to carry out transport operations with maximum efficiency and the minimum possible impact on local roads.

“We flagged up the use of the rail hub at the Butterwell site as being one such option during one of the series of community workshops we have been running through the year, which we’re pleased to say have been attended by well over 300 people, but nothing has yet been finalised and we are continuing to evaluate a number of options.”